English Reference
Idiom idiom

back gammon player


A person, chiefly a homosexual, who has anal sex.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

He is a back gammon player.

Does he know that you are a back gammon player?

My neighbor is a back gammon player and lives with his partner.

CONTEXTUAL

The man was open about being a back gammon player in his personal life.

The older man whispered the slang term to his friend to find out if the stranger was a back gammon player.

In that specific neighborhood, people often use the phrase back gammon player to describe someone's private habits.

The historian explained that in the past, men used the coded term back gammon player to identify each other without alerting the police or the public.

COMPLEX

The author explores the life of a back gammon player navigating the social norms of the era.


disputed origin

Probably a 19th-century pun on the board game, the term relies on the double meaning of backside and gammon, the latter being the lower or hind part of a side of bacon. The wordplay situates the term within the context of anal sex. The derivation remains unproven, though the linguistic link between the cured meat and the human anatomy provides the likely mechanism for the association.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all the way to Egery and back

    The long way; a roundabout route; a long distance to travel.

  2. 02

    back down

    To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously had, or has planned to have.

  3. 03

    back forty

    The most remote or inaccessible part of any place.

  4. 04

    back in the game

    Having recovered from a disadvantageous position.

  5. 05

    back into

    To advance to the post-season as a result of another team's loss, especially where one's own team has also lost.

  6. 06

    back of one's hand

    A display of disrespect or scorn.

  7. 07

    back off

    To become less aggressive, particularly when one had appeared committed to act.

  8. 08

    back office

    The IT and infrastructure support services for a company, separate from the public face of the business.

Last updated August 10, 2026